Friday, August 20

Nuts.



Okay, fess up. Assuming you're not allergic to nuts or don't like them for some other reason, which are your favorite? I won't have you rank or rate them or vote for them or anything silly, just leave in the comments which ones you particularly enjoy. Just the nut itself please - salted or unsalted doesn't matter - but no chocolate dipped monstrosities if you please! As usual I will chime in with my own 3-5 favorites, either in order, or if that proves to be too difficult, than maybe which are my favorites different contexts. Or something...

Nuts!

14 comments:

Hans said...

This is fun.
Most addictive: pistachios
Favorites: pistachios and cashews
Also love: walnuts, almonds, pecans

Nuts in cookies, muffins, ice cream, dipped in chocolate (dark then milk)

Peanuts: Spanish peanuts on vanilla with chocolate syrup. Eaten out of the shell for fun, peanut M&Ms

Nut breads, Nutella spread on bagels or anything!

Ben and Jerry's had a flavor called Nuts and half the container was mixed nuts!

Pecan Pancakes with maple butter!

Walnuts with carrots - sounds strange but think carrot cake and it makes a good snack

Cashews with raisins - good combo also

Did I mention pistachio ice cream? Haagen Daz or Ben and Jerry's are great!

Nuts - I'm crazy about 'em

Unknown said...

I like them all, it's hard to choose, depends on what I'm eating them with:

Walnuts in savoury dishes, especially mixed with blue cheese are good.

Hazelnuts with chocolate, mmmm.

Almonds in my oat flakes in the morning with mixed dried fruit and seeds.

You don't see pecans very much here, but I love them when I can get them.

And peanuts are so versatile, though probably the least healthy of the lot, especially the salted version. Although they're great in a grated carrot salad with raisins and lots of chopped, fresh, coriander. Or on their own with a nice, cool pint to wash them down.

They're probably my top five, though I am very partial to cashews and pistachios every now and again. Brazil nuts are probably my least favourite, though that's not to say I don't like them.

Unknown said...

I've just realised I forgot pine nuts :O If I had more money I'd cook with them every day. How can something so small be so tasty?

billybytedoc said...

Macadamias

Almonds

Cashews

Pistachios

Spanish peanuts

etc, etc, etc all an ice cream!

Metamatician said...

Are hazelnuts and filberts the same thing? I like those. I also like walnuts though the tannins (or something) in them make my throat a bit itchy if I eat too many). Love almonds, spanish peanuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios!, cashews are alright - probably one of my least favorite, pine nuts are deeeelicious, agree with Raels there, pecans are similar to walnuts for me, still yummy though, brazil nuts are good but I get tired of them quickly... um... soy nuts are good! not really nuts though...

The best nuts are the hot roasted cinnamon almonds you get at the Renaissance Faire!!! Not even close.

Nuts on good quality vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of real chocolate syrup is also impossible to beat.

So I guess if you put the Renn Faire almonds up against ice cream with nuts and chocolate, the universe would implode and cease to exist. Let's not try it.

New mix I found: Black walnuts and white almonds. Mmmm.

Nuts! Yum.

Unknown said...

I live in Spain but the peanuts here are the same as everywhere else as far as I can tell. Why are Spanish peanuts special?

And Black Walnuts? Ew. Sounds a bit dodgy to me.

Metamatician said...

Well, I don't know. The ones they call "Spanish" peanuts here are shelled but still have the red skins on them. I don't know if they are a different variety or if it's just a marketing gimmick. Probably the latter... though I always thought they tasted different. Hmm. :-|

Black walnuts on the other hand are yummy; don't give into the Spanish repulsion for things black! :)

Metamatician said...

}:8) "Technically they're lagoons anyway, not nuts."

An Gabhar Ban said...

Oh man...
I love ALL nuts but top favorites would have to be
Macadamia, Pistachio, Pecan, Cashew, Almonds, and Walnuts.

I've even eaten roasted Acorns and Hickory nuts.. OH!!! and Chinquapin nuts when you can find them are so very tasty!

Yep, I'm nuts about nuts. :)

Mandula said...

Cashew
Pistachios
Almond
Walnut
Peanut unsalted
Chestnut
Hazelnut
Donut

Never tasted pecan or macadamia, nor acorn or hickory, or brazil nuts, are they good? :)

Metamatician said...

@AGB - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Thanks, seems we all pretty much like all kinds of nuts (not going to take this in a naughty direction). I've had leeched/roasted acorn paste too as part of a cultural anthro class studying how the Washo indians of the Reno/Lake Tahoe area subsisted before Europeans arrived. It was ok. But tell me, what is a "Chinquapin" ?

@Mandula - Donuts, lol. You should be the next person to play The Joker in Batman. All the nuts you said you haven't had are yummy. It's impossible to describe food with words really, so you'll just have to believe me :-)

An Gabhar Ban said...

@ Meta: Thank you :)

Chinquapins are a southeastern bush/tree similar to american chestnut in that they have spiny nut cases and are somewhat similar in flavor. They're not commercially available that I know of and it's likely due to the fact that you have to almost beat the wildlife off the trees in order to get any for yourself! I have a bush in the back of my property I'm watching like a hawk...

@Mandula: all the nuts are tasty, but I do have to say Hickory is a bit strong compared to some of the others and Pecans, although I have to agree with Meta that they're hard to describe, are a sweet, rich nut and superb on all kinds of desserts or alone.

Oh and I forgot to mention, raw peanuts harvested directly out of the field are completely different from the roasted, salted, or otherwise altered ones available for purchase in most parts of the country. One of the perks of living in the southeast I suppose. :) Then again I can't get fresh almonds or avocado off the tree either... :(

Unknown said...

Ahh, chestnuts too, of course, mmm! Thanks Mandula for reminding me about them. They used to be a staple food in Asturias at one time and are still very common from around the end of October for about a month. I roast them on the fire, of course, or steam and then freeze them for use in cooking - chestnut, apricot and mushroom loaf, for example, is rather yummy.

Mandula said...

Thanks to you all, I will taste them if I get the chance. :)

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